Highlights
- The feud between Turtle School and Crane School had Master Roshi and Master Shen at the center of its rivalry.
- While Crane School focused on dangerous techniques, Turtle School taught balance and improvement to its students.
- The feud between the two schools eventually ended with Master Shen’s defeat, but its impact on the characters remained.
Dragon Ball focused a lot of its early chapters and arcs around Goku, as well as Master Roshi. In fact, the Turtle School is the first official school of martial arts that Goku ever learned way before Goku achieved Super Saiyan or any other fighting prowess. However, there once was another school of martial arts that used to have Tienshinhan and Chiaotzu as students of Master Shen. The Crane School had techniques of its own, one of which is commonly seen with every Dragon Ball character, but it always had a huge rivalry and disdain for the Turtle School.
However, what exactly did this rivalry consist of, and how did it come to an end? Not to mention, the Crane School is never mentioned again by Tienshinhan despite it being a major part of how strong he became. So, why is this rivalry such a big deal, and why did it end?
A Feud Between Masters
The Student’s Responsibility Is Immense
Master Shen was for a good time the master of the Crane School, and it showed in his design and the reason why he established the school, to begin with. He and Master Roshi grew to have a rivalry when they studied under their shared Master Mutaito, the man who taught them everything they knew on Earth, and the source of their teachings. However, when Master Roshi took a noble approach to martial arts, as seen by how he teaches Goku and Krillin, Master Shen opted for a more ruthless approach with his students. The rivalry between both schools only got worse when Goku allegedly killed Mercenary Tao, leading to Master Shen to attempt to take revenge on Goku and the Turtle school.
I made you, Tien! All that you are has sprung from my generous hands! And now, your insubordination has clenched them into fists! Now you’ll pay! – Master Shen
During the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament is when Master Shen finally heard what happened to Mercenary Tao, and before that, he had entered Tienshinhan and Chiaotzu into the tournament simply to prove their strength to the Turtle School. For a time, you can see Master Shen’s bitterness and ruthless teachings can show in how Tienshinhan defeated Yamcha by breaking his leg. When Master Shen found out about Mercenary Tao, who happened to be revealed as the Master’s brother, this sparked a vengeful wrath as he conspired with Tienshinhan and Chiaotzu to kill Goku. However, with some wise words from Master Roshi, Tienshinhan slowly defied Master Shen’s orders, along with Chiaotzu, refusing to participate in the plan at the last second. This showed Master Shen’s true cold heart, leading him to be defeated and eventually unseen for some time.
Why This Feud Mattered
The Developments Of This Feud Are Fascinating
While the feud between both schools of martial arts ended with some bad blood, there were a lot of similarities and differences that made them almost perfect mirrors to each other. Where the Turtle School focused on balance, improvement, as well as techniques like the Kamehameha in their arsenal, the Crane School sought to surpass all that with techniques that were useful, and some very dangerous. The Solar Flare, the ability to fly, and the Kikoho; the Crane School taught these techniques to its best students, which led to how Tienshinhan grew strong in the arc and in Z.
However, why did the feud matter in the small scheme? And more importantly, why is it that this feud never returned? Put simply, because Master Shen didn’t make a return appearance with his brother Tao. On top of that, after the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, it was confirmed but never really explained how Master Shen and Mercenary Tao both got involved in an incident which killed them both. While the feud between the Turtle and Crane School was a classic play on the feud between dojo’s in other Martial Arts media, it is unfortunate to say that this hasn’t happened for quite some time. Especially since Dragon Ball has moved on from that and into great transformations and even more powerful opponents. However, the simple beginnings of Dragon Ball are worth remembering, especially since the Turtle School and Crane School still represent one of the shows’ better arcs, which led to making the story as great as it is.
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